A Worthy Company of Watchmakers

A Worthy Company of Watchmakers

This 1918 book is among one of the core books in the library of Gruen reference materials that collectors, with some patience and searching, can obtain a copy. 

It is 55 pages long and divided into 4 parts. 

  • Part 1 tells the story of Gruen by showing the connection of the Gruen company to the old-world "Guild" concept
  • Part 2 is a catalog of Gruen watches for sale. The prices were listed on another document which I have included on this page
  • Part 3 describes the "Verithin size" movements that were the "V" series movements, VE, V1, V2, V3, V 3 1/2, V4, V5
  • Part 4 is titled "Watches Especially Designed" and describes a service Gruen offered that rebuilt heirloom pieces by adding a Gruen movement

The section with the most practical value is the catalog of watches for sale. 

You can't tell from scans, but all images in the book are glued in pieces of paper that Gruen called "plates". This is true for the watches as well as the illustrations in the first section.

You can get a hardcopy of this book printed new through Google Books.  You can read an electronic copy below courtesy of Google Books. You can download a PDF version, order a hardcopy, and put a copy of the book into your Google Play book library by visiting the Google Book page.

Here's an interesting tidbit that you'll find in Worthy Company.

It is a description of Gruen's customer restoration shop that they called the Gruen Workshop.  
In all of the Gruen literature known in print and ads too, the only time the phrase "Gruen Workshop" has appeared as in the 1918 Worthy Company book, and a lone Ohio jewelers newspaper ad that ran in 1918.


A 1918 Price List - from "A Worthy Company of Watchmakers"

The plate numbers and page numbers correspond to that book. Even without the book the price list still contains valuable information.

Gruen 1918 price list.pdf Gruen 1918 price list.pdf
Size : 2203.228 Kb
Type : pdf